Stabenow: Health care agreement will have to come by mid-September

Katy Batdorff | The Grand Rapids PressU.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow talks about the positive economic and environmental effects of the Car Allowance Rebate System (CARS), also known as 'Cash for Clunkers' at K&M Dodge Chrysler dealership Tuesday.

U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow hopes to see a bipartisan agreement on health care by mid-September and urged people to ignore suggestions that seniors, veterans or others would be denied coverage under the Democrats' reform proposal.

Stabenow was in Grand Rapids today to speak with a women's group about health care reform and to visit a local auto dealership to tout the "cash for clunkers" program.

The Lansing Democrat sits on the Senate Finance committee, which will play a key role crafting legislation aimed at providing affordable health care to the estimated 47 million uninsured Americans.

She answered questions in a brief interview with the Press:

Q: Critics have said universal health care legislation is too risky and complicated to be passed before year's end. Why the rush?

A: The most important thing is we have to act. Every day 14,000 people lose their health insurance. We've seen a 200 percent increase in premiums in the last eight years and we just can't afford to do nothing.

Q: Senate Finance Chairman Max Bacaus has set a Sept. 15 deadline to reach a deal with members. Are discussions ongoing even though senators are on summer break? How realistic is it that you will return with a bipartisan agreement?

A: We're working very very hard to get a bipartisan agreement but people have to want to get a bipartisan agreement. Our hope is that that will be the case. I think that if there is an agreement, it will come in mid-September. One way or the other we need to act, hopefully in a bipartisan effort. The reality is that we need to act when you're talking about 62 percent of the bankruptcies in this country coming because of a health care crisis. And 5,000 home foreclosures every day happen because of a health care crisis.

Q: How do you pay for it? Do you ultimately see a tax increase here?

A: First of all, over time, costs come down. But we're talking about the majority of the costs being paid for by changes in the current system, that would deal with waste and fraud and abuse. In addition, we have seen the pharmaceutical industry and the insurance industry come forward because they will be getting more customers under any kind of reform. They've been willing to take cuts as a part of that. We are seeing changes in the some of the payment structure that health care providers are willing to take. I don't see an across-the-board tax increase. We are talking about some changes in terms of fees with insurance companies and pharma.

Q: What about recent criticism that this reform would reduce benefits to the elderly, veterans, or small businesses?

A: That's absolutely false. Right now, the people who are guaranteed health care are people that are 65 and older and people who are disabled because they have Medicare, which by the way is a government run single-payer system. For veterans we have been increasing dramatically the amount of money going to veterans health insurance. We have Medicare available for seniors and the disabled. Seniors are the last people that should be concerned about health reform because what we're talking about is trying to help families, help small businesses, helping individuals be able to get access to the same kind of care that seniors get under Medicare. There's been a lot of confusion put forward and misinformation by folks who frankly make a lot of money off the current system and they want to keep it the way it is. When people hear about what we're really talking about they support it.

Q: Do you think people will still fall through the cracks though?

A: The challenge is to make sure everybody has access to a doctor rather than waiting until they get sick and going to the emergency room. Right now we all pay for that.

Q: Could people lose insurance they already have or the ability to choose their doctor?

A: Their insurance company may not let them choose a doctor, but it will not come because of this health reform. Anybody who has insurance will be able to keep it and any employer who wants to continue to provide it will be able to do so. What we're talking about is for people who can't afford, can't find it, creating a way for them to do that.

Q: Last week, President Barack Obama signed into law a measure allowing another $2 billion for the cash for clunkers program. Do you think the program will need more money before the end of the year?

A: I think this is the final amount that we will receive for the program, but in the end we are funding 750,000 vehicles, at least, to be purchased.

Q: Where do you stand on being able to restore dealers who are on lists to be cut from car companies?

A: Well I grew up on a car lot in Claire. My dad and grandfather were car dealers so I have tremendous empathy and support for car dealers. But in order to do what they want to do you'd have to put GM and Chrysler back into bankruptcy, and it would take more taxpayer money to get them out. So my question to everyone: Is there support for the additional financing to be able to get them back out of bankruptcy? People who are promoting the legislation don't want to support getting GM and Chrysler back out of bankruptcy. We can't just throw them back into bankruptcy and liquidate the companies because then we'll lose all our dealers and that's my biggest concern.